St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-23
Admirable Baccalaureate Address By
President NOrthrup to the Varsity
Class of '87.
Rev. Gates Lays Down to the Million-
aires the Clear Duty They Owe
to Society.
DR.. futile breaches His First Sermon
Able Discourses by Various
. Minneapolis Ministers.
THE MAN JESUS.


day afternoon to listen to President
Northrup'S baccalaureate address and
the songs which successfully ushered in
commencement week of 81. Just be-
fore the exercises opened the gradual
ing class filed in and occupied seats
facing the reading desk. The Choral
society, with President Northrup and
several of the city clergy, sat upon
Gounod'S Ave Verum," by the Uni
yerSity Choral society, was followed by
an innovation by Rev. G. II. Merrill.
The most beautiful number of the song
service was the duet and chorus by
MendelsSohn, Il Waited for the Lord"
The solo and duo parts were taken by
Mrs. Hush and Miss Mcmillan and We're
eXquiSitely sung; the chorus was de-
cidedly lacking in volume, but, under
the direction of c. II. Morse, the sing
ing was all that conld have been eX-
pected, considering the number of sing
ers. Rev. c. F. Thwing read the SD
Psalm, Rev. DIR. Stryller offered
prayer and after part song by the
Choral society and hymn i'll which the
entire congregation joined, DR.. North
rup began his address. He based his
remarks on a part of the forty-Second
verse of the tWenty-Second chapter of
Matthew: "What think We of Christi"
He called attention to the human phase
of the character of Jesus Christ, and
for over an hour he held the wrapt at
tention of the large congregation, while
he presented for their thought suggest
ions of the manlineSS of the greatest
of historical characters. Any syn
opsis of President Northrup'S
able address would fail of doing it JUS
tice. He requested his hearers to put
aside for the time all idea of the divine
attributes of Jesus, to close the book of
the old diSpenSatiOn and regard Christ
as man, endeavoring by means of an
understanding of His humanity to an
rive at some idea of His divinity. There
was nothing extraordinary in the adj
vent of Jesus. 1t is common enough
thing, a poor babe i'll poor family,
brought into the world, in this instance
under rather more adverse circum-
stances than usual. The only glimpse of
Jesus from His birth to mature man
hood that is given US is when He is
found, in His. 18th year, among the
learned doctors in the temple. We
must not consider Jesus forward and
conceited child. withpreternaturalkn owl-
edge which cost him nothing, airing His
wisdom before the doctors for His own
qualification, nor must we think of Him
as God, but rather as an ingenious
youth. with developing realization of
His own nature and destiny and an in
tense desire to fit Himself for the
work to come. During the long
years at Nazareth Jesus was
developing, growing in soul and body.
The view that Jesus was perfect and
fully developed is an unworthy view.
We see Him with human limitations in
knowledge and power and with human
propensities to sin. Why was the whole
career OF Jesus Christ one of humility
and sorrow? Was it not a wholesome
discipline to fit Him the better to appre-
ciate the Borrowings and sufferings and
temptations of the afflicted? 1t was a
long discipline. He did nothing
till the age Of 80 except to get
ready for his life work, work
of three years. What waste of time!
cries the uneducated Zealot. No great
work was ever done without great prep
aration. If God could wait till the full
ness of time had come before He sent His
son into the world, shall we wonder that
Jesus waited thirty years to begin His
great work of redemption? Slowly, yet
surely, as is the development of the
natural world, was the Christ perfected,
God does not call us to work for Him
till we are fitted to do His
work. And if, after life devoted
to preparation, we die when ready
to begin our work, surely God
will find endless work for US
in another world, for the government
of God is not a wasteful government.
Jesus discipline did not end with the
baptism and the Fathers sanction.
There was the temptation-the greatest
TO which man was ever subjected, and
only long preparation could have en-
abled Him to resist it. The sermon on
ha in i1r1,t
as to be rightly understood, the best
things of the old religion. Is it an acct
dent that none of the great Christian
doctrines appear in the sermon on the
mount? Did Jesus have as clear a
realization of his mission then as he did
later in the garden of Gethsemane? He
was without Sin-what visions of the
future may be revealed to the sinless
soul God alone knows. We cannot be
surprised as the end approaches that
Jesus recurs more and more frequently
TO his relationship to God. He was in
the beginning with God, and after the
redemption He again sat at His right
hand, but between these tirmes He took
on humanity. During his career on
earth He relinquished the prize
of being equal with God, and
so He must no longer be
regarded as God in man. He set aside
His godlike condition. Man depends on
God, and Jesus accepts this phase of
humanity and prays for Gods aid as no
other man has prayed. Who shall say
that every miracle wrought by Jesus
was not in answer to His prayer to God?
Jesus said: II can of mine own self do
nothing" but through the intercesSion
of the Father He could do all. | believe
it possible to explain the miracles with
out attributing them to His power as
God, but by the power of prayer.
What if Jesus had lived but as an ex-
ample-a perfect man-and we were
invited to follow in His footsteps and
earn heaven? How many would sue
coed? Alas, not one of us would ever
see the King in His beauty! Jesus per-
severed i'll His great work until He
could eXclaim: at is finished?" 1t is
because He is a Precipitation for the
sins of the whole world, because He is
able to save to the uttermost, that we
are permitted to live in the hope of the
mercy of God. The president then adj
dressed the graduating class with words
of wise council and judicious advice.
His remarks to them were especially
apt and will, no doubt, long be treas
ured in their memories. One sentence
will fairly illustrate the superior char
acter and the worth of the last college
lecture they Will receive: "Whenever
you can do any useful work better than
anyone else you will have no difficulty
in finding employment" He spoke to
them of politics and told them the
Country is greatly in need of states
men, but has an unlimited supply of
politicians" In closing he said: sit is
not enough that you seek to live accord
ing to the law of unselfishness by which
Jesus lived; make Him more than your
example; He is your Savior if you will
accept Him. He is your Judge whether
you accept him or not. When your life
&c lo c